In a collision, a vehicle experiences a sudden stop or at least a drastic reduction in momentum. However, passengers in the vehicle, if unrestrained, continue moving at the same speed at which the vehicle was previously moving, potentially striking elements of the vehicle interior such as the dash, steering wheel, etc. with devastating force. Still more, an unrestrained vehicle occupant may be ejected from the vehicle during a collision, further increasing the likelihood of traumatic injury or death. Therefore, safety considerations and legislation require most vehicles to be equipped with seat belts or safety belts. A seat belt, by applying an opposite force (to the force of the collision) to the occupant, reduces likelihood of death or serious injury in a collision by reducing the force of secondary impacts associated with ejection from the vehicle or contact with elements of the vehicle interior.
Modern vehicles are typically equipped with three-point seat belt harnesses, which as is known are Y-shaped straps including a lap belt portion and a sash or shoulder harness belt portion. These types of harness restrain the vehicle occupant at the hip and also at the shoulder and chest, thus dissipating the energy of the moving occupant's body over the chest, pelvis, and shoulders. The seat belt straps or webbing are typically manufactured of a highly durable fabric or blend of fabrics. For example, the webbing may be woven from thousands of polyester strands. The webbing may further be designed to elongate by a predetermined percentage of the strap length during a collision (for example, approximately 10% to 15%) to assist in absorbing the energy of the collision and so further protect the vehicle occupant.
Three-point seat belts are typically anchored to the vehicle or to a seat of the vehicle at a first point substantially adjacent to a shoulder of the seat occupant and at a second point adjacent to a hip of the seat occupant. A third point of anchorage is provided by the seat belt buckle assembly, typically being a buckle element secured to the vehicle or to the vehicle seat and a cooperating tongue element which is manually latched to the buckle by the vehicle occupant. It is also known to provide seat belt harnesses which automatically latch to restrain the vehicle occupant when the vehicle occupant sits in the seat and closes the vehicle door.
Of course, other types of seat belt harnesses are known in the art, including four-, five-, six-, and seven-point harnesses. The skilled artisan will appreciate by reading the present disclosure that the adjustable seat belt webbing guide described herein can readily be adapted to these types of harness.
Other features typically found in seat belt harnesses include locking retractors, which allow some free movement of the vehicle occupant's upper torso but which limit this movement during severe deceleration, such as during a collision. Other common features include sensor-triggered pre-tensioners, which preemptively tighten the seat belt in the event of a collision and/or rapid acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, and web clamps, which clamp the seat belt webbing in the event of sudden deceleration to limit the distance the webbing can spool out. Reminder chimes/lights are typically provided to remind the vehicle occupant to latch the seat belt harness. A web guide may be provided, to ensure that the seat belt web (particularly the shoulder harness portion) contacts the vehicle occupant at a desired position and also to provide a point along which the seat belt travels as the occupant adjusts the length and positioning thereof.
The vehicle seat and seat belt harnesses are typically the same size regardless of the vehicle. However, the seat belt harnesses will be used by a wide variety of vehicle occupants having divergent heights, weights, etc. Even with occupants having the same height, as an example, one occupant of a certain height may have a different torso length compared to another occupant of the same exact height. A seat belt harness of a vehicle may be perfectly comfortable for a first occupant, but may rub and chafe the neck of a next occupant. Thus, issues of comfort and safety arise, requiring additional mechanisms for adjusting a position of some or all of the seat belt harness.
To solve these and other problems, the present disclosure relates to an adjustable seat belt webbing guide allowing adjustment of the seat belt harness laterally relative to a vehicle seat back. The described adjustable seat belt webbing guide also allows pivoting/rotation of the seat belt webbing along one or more planes of rotation. In combination, these features allow adjustment of the seat belt harness to contact the seat occupant at different angles and so to increase comfort and convenience.